Alabama will have plenty of games with national attention to showcase their outstanding 2011 NFL Draft class – for LB Courtney Upshaw though, two games stand out.
A September 10th road game in Happy Valley against Penn State, Linebacker U, is a great place for an aspiring NFL linebacker to strut his stuff. You could probably take your pick of any of the SEC teams, but we’ll be watching the November 5th showdown with LSU with extra attention.
Why the Patriots need him:
With the diversity of schemes that the Patriots and Bill Belichick love to employ, you can never have enough 6’2″/260 guys around that can play both ILB and OLB. With the current flirtation with a 4-3 showing some promise, a guy that can play every position in each formation would be invaluable.
Why you should watch him:
Think back to the Adalius Thomas of 2007 and try and forget about the last couple of years. That is the type of flexible, game-changing linebacker skills that Upshaw brings to the table.
If Upshaw can continue to develop under Nick Saban, he could easily hear his name called on the first night of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Tags: Courtney Upshaw
Whats his off season Weight Room numbers and 40 Yard???
Throw the Alabama defenders into a hat and pick one out. You probably have a top 100 guy in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Upshaw does look legit though – better than Hightower.